To sell or not to sell...

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • JimmieG

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 24, 2017
    108
    18
    South Bend
    I've seen a number of posts in various places about how gun owners should never, ever, ever sell any of their guns.

    I'd like to get a better understanding of what this thinking is all about. I know there's the "you'll regret it later" aspect of it, which I've definitely experienced myself, but is there more to the idea than just that?

    I will say, that a recent failed attempt to sell a pistol on armslist.com did leave me feeling a little relieved that it didn't sell. It's not a great handgun, and it's definitely redundant in my collection, but part of me really didn't want to part with it.

    Let me know what you think.
     

    m82mike

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    18   0   0
    Nov 28, 2009
    329
    28
    Milton,In.
    If you have no other choice than to sell a firearm to keep up on your bills and food on the table, then do so. Otherwise, I wouldn't let go of any of my guns. JMHO.
     

    Falconpuch

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    May 25, 2014
    71
    8
    NW Laf
    I get a bill of sale and just sell the gun, there is my insurance. I haven't sold a gun yet that I regretted but my dear old 70' cl350, I miss you :(
     

    T.Lex

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Mar 30, 2011
    25,859
    113
    I've seen a number of posts in various places about how gun owners should never, ever, ever sell any of their guns.

    I'd like to get a better understanding of what this thinking is all about. I know there's the "you'll regret it later" aspect of it, which I've definitely experienced myself, but is there more to the idea than just that?

    I will say, that a recent failed attempt to sell a pistol on armslist.com did leave me feeling a little relieved that it didn't sell. It's not a great handgun, and it's definitely redundant in my collection, but part of me really didn't want to part with it.

    Let me know what you think.

    If you have no other choice than to sell a firearm to keep up on your bills and food on the table, then do so. Otherwise, I wouldn't let go of any of my guns. JMHO.

    For me, it is more a function of how I received the start of my collection: inheritance. I'd bought a few firearms of my own, but then inherited several. It got me thinking about how the firearms represent a family legacy. None of them are particularly collectible, but that's not the point.

    So, the firearms I have purchased represent additions to that legacy going forward. My own contribution to it.

    Now, I did trade a rifle that I'd purchased for a shotgun set. For as long as they are mine, I get to control this little legacy thing. :D And, during some rough times, I did put out feelers for selling some that I'd bought.

    But, other than a financial need, I don't think I'd just sell some outright for cash. Upgrades? Maybe.
     

    walt o

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Feb 10, 2008
    1,097
    63
    Hammond
    When building a collection we sometime buy a gun to fill a particular nitch and later find a better specimen .So why not sell the lower quality one and let someone else fill a hole in their group.The difference of being a accumulator or a collector
     

    JimmieG

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 24, 2017
    108
    18
    South Bend
    When building a collection we sometime buy a gun to fill a particular nitch and later find a better specimen .So why not sell the lower quality one and let someone else fill a hole in their group.The difference of being a accumulator or a collector

    That's a really good way to look at it. That was pretty much how I felt with this one. It's a cheaper handgun, and I have 2 others of higher quality in the same caliber, so I felt like it should go. I was going to use the cash to stock up on ammo, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't feel right.

    Now, the odd folks I dealt with in responses to my armslist.com ad did contribute to my regret, but that's a whole other post in itself :)
     

    JimmieG

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 24, 2017
    108
    18
    South Bend
    For me, it is more a function of how I received the start of my collection: inheritance. I'd bought a few firearms of my own, but then inherited several. It got me thinking about how the firearms represent a family legacy. None of them are particularly collectible, but that's not the point.

    So, the firearms I have purchased represent additions to that legacy going forward. My own contribution to it.

    Now, I did trade a rifle that I'd purchased for a shotgun set. For as long as they are mine, I get to control this little legacy thing. :D And, during some rough times, I did put out feelers for selling some that I'd bought.

    But, other than a financial need, I don't think I'd just sell some outright for cash. Upgrades? Maybe.

    That's a good point T. My love started out over 30 years ago when one of my brothers gave me his Ruger 10/22. Legacy and something to hand down is an important part of it for me too. The first 3 handguns I bought were top-end because I wanted to have "heirloom" firearms that I could pass down to my kids.
     

    ACC

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    133   0   1
    Mar 7, 2012
    2,042
    113
    N. Side of Indy
    When I was younger and newer into the gun game, I bought a few different guns that were not worthy (Remington 597 .22LR, Mossberg 715T, S&W SD9VE, etc) of remaining in my collection once I determined the type and quality of the guns I wanted to collect. Those guns are now gone and I have no regrets.

    Now that I am older and more knowledgeable in collecting guns, I do not buy any guns that are not worthy to be in my collection. Therefore, since it is a collection, I will not be getting rid of any of my guns from here on out.

    Caveat...if one of my +/- $500 built PSA AR's is suddenly worth 5x as much due to stupid panic-ers.....I might reconsider :)
     

    Hopper

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    31   0   0
    Nov 6, 2013
    2,291
    83
    Hamilton County
    This might be an odd response, but we have some hoarders (like on the TV show) on both sides of my family. After helping to clean up one of the inlaw's properties, and knowing I'll have to do the same at some point on my side, I have subliminally avowed that I will NOT become a collector of "things" for the saking of having "things". This goes with firearms as well.

    I recently posted and sold a couple pistols that ultimately weren't to my taste. One I may regret, but it wasn't a rarity that couldn't be easily replaced if I want to. And the sale of both are going towards a new purchase that I have been wanting for a while now. While it's harder for me to use the Goodwill rule of thumb with firearms (if I haven't shot it in over a year, do I really want to keep it?), I do try to stick with this mentality. It must serve a purpose, and practical purposes tend to get priority over taking up space in the safe for the sake of having something I don't use. To be fair, sometimes that purpose is as simple as it makes me smile when I shoot it.

    All this said, my collection has still grown over what it was last year, or the year before, and the year before that! :n00b:
     

    T.Lex

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Mar 30, 2011
    25,859
    113
    ... I will NOT become a collector of "things" for the saking of having "things". This goes with firearms as well.

    It must serve a purpose, and practical purposes tend to get priority over taking up space in the safe for the sake of having something I don't use. To be fair, sometimes that purpose is as simple as it makes me smile when I shoot it.
    I agree with both of these points. :)

    I think "building a legacy" can be an appropriate purpose. Sure, it can be abused and a rationalization for just collecting "stuff" but if it is genuine, I think it can be reason enough.
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    I seldom sell, generally preferring to trade. I just think the economics of it works out better that way. The exception is something that's out of production or reasonably collectible.

    I can only think of four guns I've actually sold instead of traded.
     

    Beowulf

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    66   0   0
    Mar 21, 2012
    2,880
    83
    Brownsburg
    Outside a few firearms given to me by my grandfather and father, my general rule is that if it sits in the safe for more than a year and I haven't taken it to the range, it's probably a prime candidate for selling off.

    Maybe my collection is too big to have an emotional connection to each one... or maybe I buy too many of them on a whim, so they don't mean a whole lot. The few guns that I sold that I did end up regretting were only because I could have gotten a much better price down the road. For example, in 1996, I bought an SVT40 for $180. It shot okay, but was picky about the ammunition it liked. I sold it for $190 a year later. Of course now they go for way more than that. Doh.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
    Emeritus
    Rating - 100%
    187   0   0
    Dec 7, 2011
    191,809
    152
    Speedway area
    I find one I like. I get it. I take it all apart and see what I can do to improve it. Then I embark on that journey. Most times I am successful....sometimes not.
    When a project is done I take it out and share it with friends. We ogle it, fondle it, run it, talk about it, then I sell/trade it and the process begins anew.
     

    Thor

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Jan 18, 2014
    10,704
    113
    Could be anywhere
    Most everything I have I bought for a reason. Those reasons don't go away. Either it's history, function, purpose...something. I can't think of anything I bought for those reasons that I want to get rid of, sort of like the books I buy; they have history and knowledge that future generations can benefit from...why would I sell them.
     

    WebSnyper

    Maximum Effort
    Rating - 100%
    56   0   0
    Jul 3, 2010
    15,417
    113
    127.0.0.1
    When building a collection we sometime buy a gun to fill a particular nitch and later find a better specimen .So why not sell the lower quality one and let someone else fill a hole in their group.The difference of being a accumulator or a collector

    Kind of how I think about these things. They serve a purpose, and if that purpose is filled by something better, then I tend to trade off or sell the one that previously filled that purpose. I do tend to look at it holistically though with the platform and integration to purpose, and investment, etc being weighed as well as just a particular specimen.


    • I started many years ago with revolvers. Sold all of them off, and can only think of 1 that I'd still like to have (Ruger SP101) and 1 that I wish I had held onto longer but still would have sold (6" Colt King Cobra 357 ... didn't like the gun, but man the prices have really gone up on those things).
    • Got into Semi Autos but bought a few of the wrong ones (cheap or bubba'd 1911 variants or just others that did not fit my need, glad to be rid of them), Still have 1 Taurus Pt99 that I had Black Teflon finished many years ago and will keep that. I think I've had that gun for 25+ years now.
    • Then got into function over form and went Glock and bought into the platform. Started with the 45's (21 & 30)... traded due to size and carry considerations, and went 40 (23's and 27), eventually went 9mm (19's, 26, 43's, etc) due to shootability.
    Generally no regrets, as I usually traded or directly put money into the next iteration of what I was after.

    I think alot of it goes to your purpose for the gun and if you are a collector, shooter, accumulator, or if you consider them tools, etc.
     

    SAILORGOLF46

    Expert
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    Feb 14, 2012
    901
    63
    Greenwood
    I have none that were handed down but intend to leave each grand child one. If I have a want and can not find one to try out then I will buy used and give it a spin. If it does not suit my intended purpose or abuses my arthritic hands then I will sell and hope to break even. My weakness is S&W revolvers in the 1970-80's shooter grade, I might have a couple more than I need.
     

    JimmieG

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 24, 2017
    108
    18
    South Bend
    I agree with both of these points. :)

    I think "building a legacy" can be an appropriate purpose. Sure, it can be abused and a rationalization for just collecting "stuff" but if it is genuine, I think it can be reason enough.

    It's not hoarding, I just want to have a really big legacy ;)
     
    Top Bottom